


Second Impression

by MyOwnSuperintendent



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-15
Updated: 2014-10-15
Packaged: 2018-02-21 08:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2461208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyOwnSuperintendent/pseuds/MyOwnSuperintendent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After hearing about Brandon Stark's reputation, Catelyn has no interest in going out with him.  A chance conversation, however, leads her to see him differently.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Impression

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own A Song of Ice and Fire or anything related to it. Hope you enjoy!

On the day that Catelyn met Brandon, late in her first semester of college, she never thought that she would end up going out with him. They met at a party; it was mostly upperclassmen, and Catelyn felt a bit out of place. But Elia, a sophomore whom she’d met and become friendly with in her music history class, had invited her to come along, and so here she was. She’d spent most of the evening standing with Elia and her friend Ashara, since they were the only people she knew.

It was when she went to get something to drink that she met him. She grabbed a coke off the table and turned around to find a guy beside her, grinning. “Hey,” he said. “I’m Brandon Stark. I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.”

“Probably not,” she said. “I’m a freshman. I’m Catelyn Tully.”

“Catelyn Tully,” he repeated, squeezing her outstretched hand. “Well, I’m certainly glad to meet you.”

The way he was looking at her made her feel faintly excited. “It’s nice to meet you too,” she said. “So…what year are you?”

“Sophomore,” Brandon replied. “Are you enjoying the party, Catelyn?”

“It’s pretty good,” she said. “I don’t know a lot of people, though.”

“Well, don’t you worry about that,” Brandon said. “How about I look after you?” It was beyond corny, and yet something about the way he said it made her laugh. She was trying to think of a witty comeback when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Hey, there you are,” Ashara said; she and Elia had come up behind her. “Hey, Brandon!”

“Hey, Ashara,” Brandon said. “Looking good!”

“Well, I should hope so,” Ashara laughed. “You’ve met Catelyn, I see.”

“Yeah, we were just getting to know each other,” Brandon said. “You guys are friends?”

Elia nodded. “We’re in music history together.”

“Sweet,” Brandon said. Another guy tugged at his arm then, and he said, “I’ve got to see some people, but I’ll definitely catch you later. See you around, Catelyn!” He waved, grinning at her again, before disappearing into the crowd of people.

“Was he hitting on you, Cat?” Elia asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

“Yeah, kind of,” Catelyn said. “Why?”

Elia shook her head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d watch out. He’s kind of a manwhore. Loves them and leaves them.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” Ashara asked.

“Nothing,” Elia said, “if that’s what you’re both looking for. Like when the two of you were going out—”

“We weren’t exactly going out—”

“—fine, hooking up semi-regularly, whatever you want to call it. I didn’t have any issue with that. You could handle him. You both knew it wasn’t exclusive. But I don’t know if that’s what Cat’s looking for.”

“It’s not,” Catelyn said. “Besides, if he and Ashara went out, I don’t want—”

Ashara laughed. “We did not go out. Elia makes everything bigger than it is. If you want him, you have my blessing.”

“I’d just be really careful,” Elia said. “I know he’s really cute, but he’s broken a lot of hearts. One day you’re a couple, everything seems great, and the next day you catch him with another girl.” She shook her head again, a disapproving look on her face. “He can’t keep it in his pants. And that, Ashara, is what’s wrong with that.”

“I never said you’d want to marry him or anything,” Ashara said. “He’s just fun. And he has a nice body. But yeah, Cat, Elia is probably right. She’s a better influence than I am.” She laughed again.

“Well, thanks for the advice,” Catelyn said. “I mean, he does seem cute, but it sounds like he’s more trouble than he’s worth.” The conversation turned to other topics then, and Catelyn doubted that she’d have much to do with Brandon Stark.

Brandon, however, seemed to feel differently. They happened upon each other a week later, when she was walking back to her dorm after class, and he waved enthusiastically as soon as he saw her. “Catelyn Tully! I’ve been wondering what ever happened to you.”

“I’ve been around campus,” she said.

“Sorry I had to run off the other night,” he said. “You know how it is. So, how about dinner tomorrow?”

“Excuse me?”

“Dinner tomorrow,” he repeated. “Just you and me.”

He was giving her the same smile as before, and for a moment she was tempted. But she remembered what Elia had said—that he was only out for sex, that he broke girls’ hearts—and she decided that it probably wouldn’t be a very good idea.

“No, thank you,” she said.

“Are you busy?” Brandon asked. “Do you want to do a different night?”

“No, it’s not that,” Catelyn said. “Thank you for asking me, it’s just that…I think it’s better if we don’t.”

Brandon didn’t seem overly offended, at least. “No problem,” he said. “Have a good night, Catelyn!” He smiled at her again as he headed down the path, and Catelyn went back to her dorm. She didn’t think about Brandon again until she saw him a few days later. He didn’t see her, though—he seemed very much engaged with what he was doing, which was passionately kissing a girl outside the dining hall—and she half-laughed to herself as she hurried by, thinking her decision the other night had been a good one. He clearly wasn’t one to let the grass grow under his feet, she thought, or, more likely, he hadn’t been that interested in her in the first place.

Or so she thought. Although she didn’t see Brandon that often over the next months—they ran in fairly different circles—whenever she did see him, he always greeted her with that same big grin. “Catelyn Tully!” he’d say. “There you are. Want to grab dinner some night soon? Or are you still insistent on breaking my heart?” She’d always turn his invitations down, and he’d always make an exaggerated sad face before returning to laughing and joking. It could be kind of funny—like when a new acquaintance exclaimed, “Oh, you’re the girl who won’t give Brandon Stark the time of day!”—but it could also be pretty annoying. He always said the same thing, even long after he should have gotten the message, and he never gave any indication that he was interested in anything about her beyond whether she might get dinner with him. She never regretted saying no, especially because of all the stories that she heard about him around campus. The stories always fit right in with what Elia had told her—he’d slept around on his girlfriend or hooked up with three girls in one weekend—and she had no desire to get involved with that.

It was a Saturday night in the fall of her sophomore year, and Catelyn wasn’t expecting to run into Brandon. He was one for spending his Saturday nights at parties, and she was going to an a capella concert where some of her friends were singing. A few minutes after finding a seat, though, she heard the unmistakable sound of his voice. “Catelyn Tully!”

She turned around. “What are you doing here?” She hadn’t meant to sound rude, but she was surprised to see him. She was surprised, too, that he hadn’t immediately launched into hitting on her. Then she noticed the girl standing next to him and decided that was probably why.

Brandon just laughed. “This is a public event, isn’t it? I’m allowed in.” He pointed at two empty seats next to her. “Are these taken?”

“No,” she said, and Brandon and the girl sat down. “I’d just have expected you to be at a party,” she continued.

Brandon shook his head. “Not tonight. You think I’d take my little sister to a party?” he asked, indicating the girl with him. “I know what the guys there are like.”

 _Because you’re usually one of them?_ Catelyn thought. She didn’t say it aloud, though. Instead she asked, “This is your sister?”

Brandon nodded. “Oh yeah, let me introduce you. Catelyn, this is my sister, Lyanna. Lyanna, this is Catelyn Tully. She’s one of the classiest girls on campus.”

Catelyn wasn’t sure what had earned her that title, but she decided she’d take it. She smiled at Lyanna and said, “It’s nice to meet you. Are you visiting for the weekend?”

“Yeah,” Lyanna said. “Brandon’s trying to convince me to come here next year.”

“Oh, are you in high school?” Catelyn asked. Lyanna nodded. “My sister’s a senior too. So, do you like it here?”

“It’s okay,” Lyanna said. “I don’t think I want to come here, though—not if Brandon’s going to act like this every time I want to go to a party.” She glared at her brother. “You know, I’d expect this from Ned,” she said, clearly continuing an earlier argument. “But I really thought you’d be cooler.”

“Look, Lyanna, you’re not even eighteen,” Brandon said. “You don’t know what college parties are like. Just because I don’t want something crappy to happen to you—”

“So you assume I can’t take care of myself—”

“It’s not what you’ll do that I’m worried about—”

“Well, I’m not planning on having you babysit me all through college,” Lyanna snapped. “So you can just chill out now, or next year you’re not even going to know what I’m doing.” Brandon looked as though he were about to say something else, but the lights dimmed then, and he sat back in his seat.

When the concert was over, Catelyn gathered her things to go. Brandon and Lyanna were close beside her as they left the room, and she heard Lyanna say, “Hang on a second. I’m going to run to the bathroom.”

When Lyanna was gone, Brandon sighed. “She’s beyond pissed at me,” he said.

It took Catelyn a second to realize he was addressing her. Then she nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “That’s the way it is sometimes, with siblings.”

“I would just take her,” Brandon said. “She really wants to go. But I just…I don’t want anything to happen to her, you know?” He waved his program at her. “She usually likes this kind of thing. I thought it would be good. But when she decides what she wants to do…” Catelyn nodded again. She understood what it was like; there were plenty of times when she’d tried to talk Lysa into taking the more sensible route on something, only to be accused of being bossy and not minding her own business. “Forget it,” Brandon said after a minute. “Don’t let me bug you with this. Where are you off to for the rest of the evening?”

“A couple of my friends are in one of the a capella groups,” she said, “so I’m going over to their suite. Just a little celebration.” She had an idea. “I don’t know if this is the kind of thing…but maybe you and your sister would like to come? It’s not going to be a crazy party, but it is a party.”

And now Brandon was grinning at her again. “You’re a genius, Catelyn. When Lyanna gets back, we’ll see if she wants to go.”

Lyanna rolled her eyes when Brandon made the suggestion, but she agreed to come. She seemed to have a good time once they got there, too; she got into a long conversation with a few of Catelyn’s friends, anyway, and Catelyn found herself sitting alone with Brandon.

“Thanks again,” Brandon said. “You saved the evening.”

“No problem,” she said. “Glad I could help.” She tried to think of something to talk to him about, now that they were having a conversation that didn’t just consist of him trying to ask her to dinner. “Are the two of you close?”

“Yeah, really close,” Brandon said. “And look, I don’t want you to think I’m overprotective or anything. We do a lot of pretty crazy shit together. It’s just that I kind of feel like I have to look out for her.”

“Of course,” Catelyn said. “She’s your sister.”

“Well, yeah,” Brandon said, “but it’s not just that. We kind of look out for Lyanna especially, I guess, since our mom died.”

“Oh,” Catelyn said. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She felt stupid saying it. She’d heard the words often enough herself in the past nine years, and they’d never really meant anything or helped at all.

“Thanks,” Brandon said. “It was seven years ago, so Lyanna was only ten. And it’s just me and my dad and my brothers, and none of us really knows anything about girl stuff, so she doesn’t have anyone for that. So Ned and I—Ned’s one of my brothers—we try to look out for her especially.” He half-smiled. “I’m not the best at giving mature advice or anything, but you’ve got to try.”

“That’s all you can really do, I think,” Catelyn said. “I…my mom passed away too. When I was ten. And I’m the oldest, so I’ve always tried to help out my siblings. But you never know just how to do it.” She never thought that she’d be talking about this with him.

He looked at her sympathetically. “I didn’t know about your mom,” he said. “It sucks, right?”

Catelyn wouldn’t have used those words herself, but she fully agreed with the sentiment. “It definitely does,” she said.

They were quiet for a minute or two, and then he said, “You said you have a sister, right? You have other siblings too?”

Catelyn nodded. “I have one of each. My sister’s Lysa—she’s a senior, like I said—and my brother’s Edmure. He’s twelve now. How about you?”

“I’m the oldest too,” Brandon said. “And then Ned’s a year younger, and then Lyanna, and Benjen’s the youngest.” Another moment of quiet, and then he laughed, as if to shake off the serious mood. “You know, Catelyn,” he said, “this is the first time since the night we met that you haven’t totally brushed me off?”

Well, it was true, but there was a reason for it. “You know, Brandon,” she said, mimicking his tone, “this is the first time since the night we met that you’ve tried to have an actual conversation with me?”

Brandon looked startled for a moment, but then he started laughing again; if it wasn’t for the conversation they’d just had, Catelyn would have fully believed that he wasn’t capable of taking anything seriously. He wasn’t laughing at her, though, and when he spoke, what he said was, “Touché. So is that why you never want to get dinner with me?”

He looked at her as if he really wanted to know, and Catelyn decided she’d give him the truth. “That’s part of it,” she said.

“Can I ask what the rest of it is?”

“I…well, I think we just have very different ideas about relationships,” Catelyn said. That was nicer than saying that he slept around too much, anyway.

“Okay,” said Brandon. “What are your ideas? About relationships, I mean.”

He had asked. “I like to see one person at a time,” Catelyn said, “and not to move too fast. And I’ve gotten the impression that’s not really your thing. Which is absolutely fine—I don’t want to tell you how to live your life—but that doesn’t change how I feel. And so I’m not really interested in starting anything.”

“Because you think I’m a player.”

“I didn’t say that,” Catelyn said.

Brandon smiled. “I got the gist. Don’t worry, I’m not offended.” He was quiet for a minute or two. “What if I wanted to try your ideas?”

She hadn’t really thought about it; the idea that he would want something more serious had never crossed her mind. And no matter what he said now, she frankly wasn’t sure that he would keep to it. “I honestly can’t say, Brandon. I’d definitely want to move slowly, in any event. On all fronts.” She hoped that he understood she was talking about sex. “And I wouldn’t want either of us to see other people.”

Brandon nodded. “Thanks for being honest, Catelyn. I do think you’re a pretty cool person, you know. I don’t just want to get into your pants or anything.” He looked sheepish. “Comments like that are probably the kind of thing you don’t like, right?”

Catelyn had to laugh. “It’s fine.”

“I’ll tell you what,” Brandon said. “I’ll stop asking you out every time I see you. And I’ll think about your ideas some more. And if I think I can do a good job trying them, I’ll give you a call, and if not, I won’t bug you again. Okay?”

She thought for a minute. “Yeah,” she said. “Yeah, that would be okay. I’ll give you my number.” He passed her his phone, and she typed her number in, adding, “Please do stop asking me out all the time, but you don’t have to totally avoid me or anything. I liked talking to you tonight.”

That big smile was back. “Yeah? That’s great. I liked talking to you too. And thanks again for saving Lyanna’s evening.” He glanced over at Lyanna, who was laughing with a couple of other girls. “I don’t think she’s mad at me anymore, so that’s a relief.”

“Of course,” Catelyn said. “It was no trouble.”

One of her friends came over to ask her something then, and the party broke up soon after; Catelyn and Brandon only exchanged quick goodbyes. Yet she walked back to her dorm thinking that if he happened to call her sometime, she just might say yes.


End file.
